In many aspects this has been a good week for the Astros as they hired their new manager Joe Espada, and it appears GM Dana Brown was firmly in charge of the process.

On the other hand, we've seen numerous reports about Alex Bregman's future, or lack their of, in an Astros uniform. Bob Nightengale and our own John Granato are hearing that this will likely be Bregman's last year with the club, and he will undoubtedly receive a contract offer that the Astros will be unwilling to match.

Granato has also reported Bregman is buying a house in Arizona, read into that what you will.

Manny Machado received an 11-year contract extension last season worth $350 million, which includes a no-trade clause with no op-outs. And if you compare Bregman's career numbers to Machado's, you could make a case Breggy deserves as much if not more.

Machado’s lifetime batting average: .279. On-base percentage: 339. Slugging:.490. OPS: .829.

Bregman’s lifetime batting average :. 274. On-base percentage: .373. Slugging: .487. OPS: .861.

We know the Astros don't hand out deals with this many years on them, so we need to prepare for life after Bregman. Which brings us to Kyle Tucker. As it stands now, most believe Tucker will leave the following year, for the same reason as Bregman.

Justin Verlander is another player to keep an eye on. If he doesn't reach 140 innings pitched in 2024, his deal for 2025 won't vest, and he could be gone after the 2024 season.

On the bright side, it looks like the Astros will work to re-sign Jose Altuve, but to be fair, he's not looking for an 10-year deal. Altuve will be 34 in May, and reportedly would like to play until he's 40. The Astros may not want to go that many years, but a 4-year deal could make a lot of sense for both parties.

But based on everything that was outlined above, we can make the case that the 2024 season will be the last legitimate opportunity for the Astros to cement their dynasty with a third championship.

Plus, when preparing for life after Bregman and one year later Tucker, there's one player in particular that could make us feel better as the team transitions in 2024 and 2025.

Jeremy Pena. If Pena can return to form and hit 20-25 home runs and bat around .250, we would feel a lot better about losing Bregman's bat in the infield. He's also a right-handed hitter like Bregman that could take advantage of the Crawford Boxes.

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